Anchor

272 College Street’s origins are somewhat unclear given that the building itself seems to be an addition to the corner building at 1000 Chapel Street. Though 272 College abuts 1000 Chapel, the two buildings differ in dimension. 272 College is set back roughly a foot further from the street. In addition, 1000 Chapel rises four stories while 272 College stands only three stories tall. Both buildings have identical architectural styles above their first floor facades. Nonetheless, the historical records do not seem to provide the necessary information to determine whether the buildings were both constructed in 1830, or if the addition was added on in 1859, when Sanborn maps of New Haven begin to show the addition.



The 1911 Atlas shows that the Townsend Company owed both 272 College and 1000 Chapel Street. This atlas makes it clear that there was a defined gap between 272 College and the building next door, now The Owl Shop. Though the gap has since been sealed on the street level, it remains between the buildings’ second and third stories, leading to speculation about the building’s somewhat cloudy history.

The Sandborn map from 1923 reveals that there was an empty space behind 272 College and its neighbors on Chapel Street. However, the next map which spans from 1923-30 shows that this gap was filled during this period. The 1930 business directory lists four occupants under this address. This list includes The Spencer Hotel, Whitemen’s Furnishings, the Terminal taxi company, and a man named Nathan Kirschner. Kirschner is listed as a baker in the street index. However, his personal entry towards the beginning of the directory lists him as a barber. Unfortunately, Kirschner died shortly after moving into the building in 1930 so he is not listed in any other New Haven directory. Thus, his true profession can only be speculated about.



There are some indicators in later directories about what the first floor could have been used for in the 1930s. The Spencer Hotel occupied the building’s third floor for the decade. The 1938 directory shows that Alexander Clothing is the second floor tenant. This allows the other building tenants to be placed to their respective floors, without the information being explicitly provided in the directories. It can thus be gathered that Kirschner operated his business out of the building’s first floor. This storefront would remain vacant until 1935 when Rink the Tavern would move into the space. Rink the Tavern would later make way for The Anchor Spa, a bar despite its name, in 1939 when Albert Levett bought the storefront.



The timing of the addition behind 272 College Street, by 1930, could suggest that Kirschner was the person who oversaw the project. One can hypothesize that Kirschner built the space to house a kitchen for his storefront. This hypothesis carries weight for two reasons. The first is that the directory shows that Kirschner was either a barber or a baker; the latter would no doubt require some sort of kitchen space. The second reason is that next two tenants were a tavern and a bar, both of which served food. This could have also been the point at which the first floor was expanded to abut 268 College Street, leaving the second and third floors still separate.



The 1939 directory lists AM Levett Rest as a new tenant of the building. Levett moved his bar, the Anchor Spa, from its original home in Milford, to 272 College Street. This bar helped to populate a bar district which arose during the post-prohibition era. During this time, the façade came to resemble its current iteration. One difference however was that the sign, which became synonymous with the Anchor, was not present. Rather, “Anchor Spa” was painted directly onto the blue, art modern façade.



The Lincoln House Hotel came to occupy part of the building during the 1950s. In 1963, Marshall Moore bought the Anchor Spa. The Moores ran the Anchor from 1963 until January 2015. During this time they would replace the Anchor Spa sign, with the spectacular, three-dimensional ”Anchor Restaurant” sign. The Anchor played host to a hip crowd during its early days. Celebrities were known to visit the speakeasy style “Mermaid Room” in the basement. The bar poured classic drinks. During the 80s and 90s however, the bar became somewhat of a dive; though patrons could still enjoy a classic martini. The bar was adorned with red, circular booths and an old fashioned jukebox. In 2014, the Anchor was listed as one of Esquire Magazine’s best bars in America.



The Anchor closed its doors on January 4th, 2015 after failing to keep up with rent payments. The iconic sign was taken down shortly after the bar’s closing. It currently is in possession of the Moore Family. The Anchor is set to reopen later this year under Karl Franz Williams, a mixologist. Williams, Yale class of 1997, also runs the bar 67 Orange Street in Harlem. Williams hopes to revitalize the bar while connecting with its roots.



Yale University Properties is the current owner of the building. The second and third floors are part of the Townsend Apartment building, which extends over the 1000 Chapel Street Property.

"Alumnus Karl Franz Williams to Raise Anchor Once Again (the Bar, That Is)." Yale News. Yale University, 29 July 2015. Web. 23 Sept. 2015. .



Bass, Paul. "Preservationists Seek To Rescue Anchor-facts | New Haven Independent." New Haven Independent. New Haven Independent, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. .



"The Best Bars in America, 2014." Esquire. Esquire Magazine, 27 May 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. .



Franzman, Mike. "The Anchor Spa - New Haven, CT." Flickr. Yahoo!, Sept.-Oct. 2008. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. .



Franzman, Mike. "I Love New Haven: A Celebration Of The Anchor - by Mike Franzman." I Love New Haven: A Celebration Of The Anchor - by Mike Franzman. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. .



Stannard, Ed. "New Haven’s Anchor Bar Gone, Yale Properties Seeking New Tenant." New Haven’s Anchor Bar Gone, Yale Properties Seeking New Tenant. New Haven Register, 05 Jan. 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. .



New Haven Directories, 1930-38, 1950, New Haven Museum.



New Haven City Map, New Haven Museum, 1830.



New Haven City Map, New Haven Museum, 1859.



New Haven City Atlas, New Haven Museum, 1911.



New Haven City Sandborn Map, New Haven Museum, 1923.



New Haven City Sandborn Map, New Haven Museum, 1930.